Profile: Reality TV Star Pat Loud

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Pat Loud

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Chicken Dijon with Basmati Rice

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Chicken thighs with Dijon mustard

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Chicken thighs with Parmesan cheese

Text, photos and food cooked by Michal Martinek

Jan 13, 2015

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Pat Loud is a very good cook. Every day at 5:30 pm sharp, before they eat dinner, she and her husband Bill have a hefty glass of vodka on the rocks with a tiny splash of vermouth. It’s a tradition they started more than 60 years ago. “I like it because for me,” says Pat, “it quietly separates the day from the evening.” Her other tips for longevity—she’s 88, Bill is 93—include avoiding sugar, soda and processed food as much as possible and regularly eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

In the early 1970s, the Louds and their children became TV’s first reality stars: An American Family—a pioneering series that ran on PBS—documented the comings and goings of their lives, making them a familiar fixture in many American living rooms at that time.

Age 88 —
Hometown Eugene, Oregon —
Where do you live? L.A. —
Occupation Retired —
Signature dish I don't really have one —
Who taught you how to cook? My mother —
Favorite kitchen tool Sharp knife —
Always in your pantry Variety of spices, I think they're important when you cook —
Go-to snack I don't snack —
Favorite cuisine Italian —
Do you diet? Constantly —
Food addictions None —
Food allergies Don't have any —
Food fad pet peeve Cooks on TV —
Who’s your sous chef? It's just me —
Drinking while cooking? Always before dinner —
What’s for dinner tonight? Salt-free chicken soup with veggies —
Do you ever cry over spilled milk? Never! —
Best meal you ever had I had two—both with my brother, and both in the Middle East. The first one was in Abu Dhabi and very simple: fresh caviar brought from Iran that day by my brother’s friend and served on toast points. The second one was on a friend’s yacht in the Gulf of Aqaba, and we had a whole roasted lamb stuffed with boiled eggs, dried fruit, rice and aromatic spices.

Chicken Dijon

“I came up with this dish when I lived in Manhattan,” says Pat. “It was my regular stand-by, as it’s simple to make and yet so delicious. I like to serve it with basmati rice cooked in chicken broth, and steamed asparagus.”

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Serves 4

8 chicken thighs

8 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the chicken thighs on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

2

Spread 1 tablespoon of the mustard evenly on each chicken thigh and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.